In a statement issued on Thursday, the army said it had established an effective and tangible state monopoly on arms in southern Lebanon, without explicitly naming Hezbollah
The Lebanese army has announced that it has completed the first phase of its plan to bring all non-state weapons in the country’s south under state control, covering the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the army said it had established an effective and tangible state monopoly on arms in southern Lebanon, without explicitly naming Hezbollah.
According to the statement, the military now controls the area south of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Israeli border, with the exception of territory and positions still occupied by Israel.
The announcement comes amid mounting pressure from the United States and Israel for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, as Israel continues to carry out strikes across Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached in 2024.
The army, which had set the end of 2025 as its own deadline to complete the first stage of its multi-phase disarmament plan, noted that further work is required to clear unexploded ordnance and tunnels in the area.
A Lebanese security source told the Reuters news agency that the statement signalled that no group would be able to launch attacks from southern Lebanon.
Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal is expected to brief the government later on Thursday on the progress made so far.
Lebanon’s cabinet is also expected to discuss moving to the second phase of the plan, which would involve disarming non-state armed groups in a 40-kilometre (25-mile) stretch north of the Litani River up to the Awali River.
Israel said on Thursday that Lebanon’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah were encouraging but “far from sufficient”.
“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon clearly states that Hezbollah must be fully disarmed,” the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“Steps taken by the Lebanese government and the Lebanese armed forces are an encouraging start, but they fall far short, as shown by Hezbollah’s attempts to rearm and rebuild its terror infrastructure with Iranian support,” the statement added.
Israel, which has killed more than 300 people in Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire, including at least 127 civilians, has previously claimed that Hezbollah is rebuilding its military capabilities faster than the Lebanese army is dismantling them.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has said there is “no evidence” that Hezbollah has rebuilt its infrastructure.
A correspondent added that Israel has threatened to expand its near-daily strikes if disarmament does not proceed and if the Lebanese government fails to rein in Hezbollah.
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